Saving Annabeth
by MagicHatts
Summary: After a tragic accident, a comatose Annabeth is being held in the ICU, leaving Percy distraught. When doctor Will Solace reveals the full body scan results, all the odds are stacked against her: Annabeth is going to die. Angered at the injustice Percy and Annabeth are facing, Will comes up with a plan; a very dangerous plan. Percy doesn't care, not if it's going to save Annabeth.
1. Chapter 1

Who would have known? Who would have guessed? Who would have thought that one day, the fearsome Annabeth Chase would see what the inside of an ICU looked like? Certainly not her, and certainly not Percy Jackson. He couldn't even remember how it happened; one minute he and Annabeth were out in the bustling city having a good time, minding their own business, the next minute he's flat on his back, head spinning and Annabeth's under the front wheel of a 4x4 Range Rover. He vaguely recalled the driver rushing from his car, cell phone pressed to hear, requesting for an ambulance and paramedic immediately. He also vaguely recalled the torturously long journey in the back of the vehicle, sirens wailing and lights flashing, as they surged through the busy streets of New York. The only thing he could vividly remember was the feeling of absolute terror and despair as he crawled towards Annabeth's unconscious figure, muttering her name over and over, his voice steadily rising as anguish flooded his body. And the way she looked, it was heart breaking, enough to leave a scorch mark on anyone's memory; blood streaming steadily down her pale face from a giant gash on her temple, and mangled limbs sticking out at all the wrong angles. Sure, Percy had seen some terrifying things, fought in the most bloody of battles, and felt the freeze of fear coursing through his veins; none of those, however, could even begin to compete with what he was feeling now, sitting by the hospital bed with Annabeth's frail hand gripped tightly in his own. This was, by far, the worst experience of the demigod hero's life.

"Hey, Jackson?" Came a strong voice from the direction of the doorway. With great difficulty, Percy wrenched his eyes away from Annabeth's ghostly face and turned to see the familiar face of Will Solace, the best demigod healer in Manhattan.

"Oh, hey Solace." He said, his voice void of all emotion. He glimpsed the sorrow that filled the healers eyes at the sound; of course, he'd only ever heard Percy speak with power, determination and sheer volume, so naturally, hearing the dull, hollow tones the emanated from him now, that would be a shock to anyone's system.

"I've got to tell you something Jackson," Will said, speaking slowly and with care, "You might want to step outside." It was a suggestion, but from the way he delivered it, Percy knew it was a request. Fear gripped his stomach as he carefully prized his fingers out of Annabeth's and hauled himself out of his chair, making his way past the doctor and into the sterile corridor. Will silently closed the door to the private ward and adjusted his clipboard as he turned to face the gaunt expression of the son of Poseidon. "Okay Jackson, this isn't easy to tell you buddy but, well, we got the scan results back today." Percy's gut gave an almighty wrench, Annabeth's life depended on these scan results, and if they were bad…no, he couldn't bring himself to think it. Instead he forced himself to listen to exactly what Solace was saying to him. "The impact from the accident has caused severe damage to Annabeth's brain and spinal cord, rupturing a fair few of her major organs. We think-"

"Just tell it to me straight Will." Percy whispered, straining to keep his emotions in check, to stay strong. "Is she going to live?"

"Honestly Percy, the most likely scenario: no, she isn't going to live." Percy felt his heart plummet to his knees. "She's comatose, her body is slowly shutting itself down. She's struggling; her body is weak and yet she's still fighting, my guess is that Athena's secretly willing her to survive, but a Goddess can only do that for so long. Given the severity of her injuries, it's a miracle she's managed to hang on this-"

"How long?" Percy interrupted, his mind swirling, desperately trying to digest all of this information being thrown at him. He leant forward and gripped Will's shoulders, staring at him with desperate intent, "How long does she have left Will? Tell me, how long?" the silent few seconds that followed were the loudest Percy had ever experienced. He tried to withhold the tears that pooled in his eyes, blurring his vision as the son of Apollo shook his head sadly,

"Looking at her situation, my guess is that she's probably got about 3 days, 5 days tops." He felt Percy's arms go limp and the expression that spawned, the complete and utter hopelessness that spilled out of every crevice of his old friend's face, it broke the young man's heart. He watched as Percy slumped against the wall, sliding down it until he was sitting against it, held his head in his hands and began to silently sob into his knees. An aura of pain leaked into the atmosphere, slowly suffocating anybody who happened to view the emotional scene. Something stirred from deep inside the experienced medic. It awakened slowly, yet as fast as lightning, and electrified his blood stream; it was the very same feeling he used to get every time he saw a fellow demigod injured in battle. The spark ignited and a fire lit in his eyes; he was a healer, a son of Apollo, patron of medicine! There was no way he was going to stand back and pretend there was nothing he could do while the life of one of the most trusted demigods he'd ever met drained away. "Who am I kidding?" he muttered to himself and then, with new found hope and determination, he moved to a crouch in front of his weeping friend. "Hey, Jackson, listen to me. Ever since leaving Camp Half Blood, my skills in medicine have both soared and plummeted. Sure, I have access to all of the best medical equipment New York has to offer, but what's the use of that if I can't get my hands on any Nectar or Ambrosia?" The young doctor stared intently at all he could see of Percy's head, his dark hair, silently pleading for him to stop crying and making himself suffer. "Percy? Dude, I need you to look at me." When Percy didn't look up, Will sighed and ran a hand through his blonde locks. "Oh, for the love of Zeus and Hera. Percy Jackson, I think I have an idea that may just save Annabeth." He watched as Percy finally looked up into his face, detecting the small spark of hope that brightened his magnificent sea-green eyes.

"I swear to all the Gods on Olympus, if you can find a way to save Annabeth, I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Will stopped him, holding a hand up to silence the older demigod, "You can negotiate repaying me later. Right now though, I think you'll be very intrigued as to what I have in mind, am I correct?" He couldn't help but smile a little as Percy sat up a little straighter, nodding his head.

"Right now, I'm willing to hear any idea that will mean the survival of my Wise Girl." Percy could feel his heart rate begin to race as hope began to replace the fear that gripped his insides. His mind was still as little fuzzy, but he could already sense his reflexes sharpening with every passing second. His sea-green eyes locked with the sky-blue ones of the demigod opposite him and something passed between the two of them; understanding.

"Well, you remember the golden fleece, right?"

**Author's Notes**

Hey Guys!

Yeah that's right, I'm back with another Percabeth fanfic! And guess what? This one is going to be much longer; hopefully 10+ chapters at least!

I got a guest review on my short-fic 'A Proper Easter Morning', asking for more Percabeth. Well, my dear anonymous reviewer, I hope this is what you were hoping for!

I'll try to update as often as I can, some weeks I may be able to update more than others, so please excuse an irregularity in updates! Remember to drop a review and tell me what you think, maybe even give me a few suggestions as to where you think I should take this story?

Thanks for reading Guys!

Hattie x


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes**

_Hey Guys! _

_Thank you so much for the reviews! It's seriously great to hear your thoughts! I've decided that I'm going to answer any reviews I get in the Author's Notes at the beginning of the chapters from now on._

**_DownElliot:_**_I know I told you I didn't want to reveal too much but the Golden Fleece is a problem, along with other stuff that will be revealed as the story unfurls. Hopefully I'll have cleared up any confusion about the fleece by the end of this chapter, so keep on reading! Thank you again for reviewing._

**_MeridaAtMidnight:_**_Thank you so much for that review, it put a big smile on my face! I definitely won't be abandoning this story, although I am writing others simultaneously for different fandoms so progress may be slower than I would like. My Mum used to work in journalism so watching her proof read and pick out grammatical and punctuation errors has really helped my writing, it's definitely not perfect, but it's getting there. Also thanks for the tip, I generally do that anyway but I'll definitely keep it in mind._

**_Ships:_**_Thank you, I hope you like the way the story's going and everything will make a bit more sense after this chapter so hang in there._

**_Ivyvinex:_**_I know, I have a particular liking for cliff-hangers so you can expect a lot of those! Like I said, all will be revealed soon, so hold on._

_Thanks for reading and reviewing Guys, I love hearing feedback from you all, it makes the writing process all the more worthwhile!_

_Hattie x_

Percy's mind was reeling, the Golden Fleece? Of course he remembered it! It had been his, well technically not his, second quest; one he had taken with Annabeth and Grover. They'd helped retrieve it and had taken it back to Camp Half Blood to save Thalia's tree, protecting the barrier that surrounded the camp, keeping all demigods safe from harm. As far as Percy knew, the fleece still resided on Half Blood Hill today, guarded by the mighty dragon Peleus. However, it had been some years since he'd visited his old home and who knows what had changed since.

"Yeah, of course I remember it, it's still hanging in Thalia's tree back on Half Blood Hill isn't it?" he asked, glancing at Will, who was leaning against the wall by the window, from his seat near the door. They'd moved location as Percy had been gathering a little crowd of sympathizers out in the corridor, and frankly neither of them wished their conversation to be overheard. Will had suggested his office, three floors down, but there was no way in Hades that Percy was moving further than 50 meters from Annabeth's room; so they compromised with an empty consultation room a little way down the hall.

"Um, well you see, that's the thing." Will began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "After the whole 'Gaia raging war against the world' thing, there were a few artefacts that went missing from Camp Half Blood." Percy's blood stiffened, he really hoped Will wasn't going where he thought he was going with this.

"Let me guess," Percy said sarcastically, "the Golden Fleece was one of those artefacts?" Will nodded solemnly, and Percy cursed under his breath. He'd nearly died retrieving that damned fleece! And now it was missing again? Great, just great. "But Peleus was guarding it! How the hell does _anyone_ slip past a freaking dragon? Especially one as dutiful and vigilant as Peleus?"

"That's what Chiron and Mr D said, well, more or less, maybe not in that exact wording but you get the picture." Will said as he strode from his position by the window and sagged into the seat opposite, "But the Golden Fleece is the only thing that can save Annabeth now. Even if I could get my hands on some Nectar or Ambrosia, it would only sustain her life enough for her to be consciously aware she's in pain without being actually conscious, thus she would just suffer more. Is this making any sense?" Percy looked up from staring at his interlocked fingers.

"Huh?" truthfully, he hadn't even been listening to his friend; his brain was still trying to process the fact that the fleece was missing.

"Were you even listening Percy?" Will asked in exasperation, dragging his hand down his face. Percy tried his best to look apologetic but the doctor could tell he wasn't really in the room. He'd seen many demigods with the same expression Percy was wearing now: eyebrows furrowed deep in thought, trying to figure out their next move and comprehend their situation. He'd treated too many of his friends and allies who wore that exact look when they lost someone in battle.

"Sorry man, I'm still trying to get my head around the fleece thing." Percy admitted, standing and pacing the width of the small room. "I just can't see how it could have gone missing. I mean, it's a fleece, an inanimate object, it's not like it just grew legs and wandered of is it?"

"I know, it's kind of confusing and nobody, not even Chiron and Mr D, has any idea as to where it could have gone." Will confessed, Percy paused before asking,

"How long has it been missing exactly?"

"Honestly, probably a few years now. The war was what, nearly 5 years ago?" Percy nodded, anger boiling in his blood. The fleece had been missing for years?! And nobody had bothered to tell him?! Wow, he'd never felt so loved. "Well, probably about a year after the war, once most of the chaos and grief had subsided, we noticed that Peleus was acting very differently, he seemed pretty distressed. One day, he started lashing out at anyone and everyone who came near him, it took nearly half of the entire camp to tie him down and prevent him trashing the place. Once he was restrained he let out this horribly empty and hollow roar, like he'd just given up. It was only then that one of the more observant Athena kids noticed the Golden Fleece wasn't there; he reckoned that Peleus had noticed the fleece was gone and thought he had failed in his duty, failed the camp." Will watched as Percy slowed his pacing, eventually slumping back into his original seat and placing his head in his hands. The son of Apollo sighed and carried on, "It took a while, but eventually we managed to get Peleus back on track; he's still guarding the tree, but to protect the barrier rather than the fleece."

"Well, at least he didn't go wreaking havoc in the forest like Festus did." Percy muttered, nodding his head to the side slightly. Will threw him a look that said 'Who-in-Apollo's-name-is-Festus?' to which Percy responded like it was obvious, "The celestial bronze dragon that used to occasionally show up to burn cabins or kill a few campers until Beckendorf managed to control it a little. His head now functions as the figure head of the Argo II, courtesy of Leo Valdez."

"Ah right, yeah I remember now. That's a fair point there." Percy nodded going straight back to thinking about the fleece. He still couldn't believe he hadn't been told the fleece had been missing for nearly 4 years.

"So you're absolutely positive that nobody, not one single person, has any clue what so ever as to where the fleece might be?" he asked, looking across at his friend. Will hesitated, his face clouding over like he knew something but was debating whether to voice it. "Will? You got something to say?" Percy asked expectantly, his stare hardening, "Because if you've got information, I suggest you spill it. Annabeth's life is on the line here and I don't plan on letting anything getting in my way to save her." He hissed. Will wrung his hands nervously, but it only took one look at Percy's serious face to clear his throat and say,

"There's been another prophecy." Suddenly, all anger slipped from Percy's face, and his eyes widened in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**

_Hey Guys!_

_First of all, I AM SO SORRY! The wait for this chapter has been atrocious! At first it was just the fact that I have really bad time management skills so school work, revision (and consequently, examinations) crept up on me. But then my laptop decided to mess with me and not do as it was told! Thank the Gods for dad's who work in IT! Ugh, first world problems._

_Now that I have apologised: Thank you for all the favourites you have given this story, I never imagined this story would be so popular so early on, and it means so much, thank you!_

_Reviews: Unfortunately, because it's been so long since I have been able to write, the emails I received that tell me what you guys say in your reviews have been deleted (*theatrical screaming and sobbing*)! I'm sorry if one of those reviews was from you, but I can tell you all this: those reviews always put a smile on my face, so thank you!_

_Now, onwards to what you have all been waiting for. Onwards to Chapter 3!_

_Hattie x_

"So what you're telling me is that as well as dealing with the fact that the love of my life, the one person who can keep me grounded, is lying half-dead in a hospital bed, I now have to go on a gods damned quest?! Are you having a laugh?!" Percy raged, throwing his arms out dramatically as he shouted at the flickering image of Chiron; the Iris message signal was probably not the best from the disabled bathroom, but it was the best he could do at the current moment.

"No, Percy, I am being completely serious." The stern inflection in the aged centaur's voice only added to Percy's already jumbled emotions, "And I can't give this quest to any other demigod, as I have already told you, the prophecy specifically men-"

"'The prophecy specifically mentions' my arse! It's a death trap! I haven't been on a bloody quest since the Prophecy of Seven! Annabeth and I have been adjusting to life in the mortal world; I haven't had to use Riptide for over 15 months. Chiron; I will die if I go on this quest alone. Get it? I will die. And do you know what will happen after that? Annabeth will die! Surely there has got to be another way that doesn't involve absolute peril and potential death?" Chiron, who had patiently waited while Percy interrupted him with his ranting, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fore finger and thumb.

"The prophecy specifically mentions that this is the only way you can save Annabeth. Trust me when I say this; if there was any other way, I would tell you. You know me well enough now to understand that I would never intentionally send you, or any of the other seven, on a quest unless the situation were dire. Unfortunately, this is one of those situations; this is Annabeth's only hope." Percy, who had been gripping his hair in frustration let his arms flop limply at his side dejectedly. Slumping down to perch on the lid of the toilet, the only available seat, he leant forwards over his knees and stared at the floor. A tidal wave of emotions suddenly overcame him and before he could control himself, hot, fresh tears started streaming down his face. Sobs began to rack through his body, shaking him from head to toe, ripping into his stability as he fell apart. It wasn't fair. Why, after everything they had gone through, could he and Annabeth not have a relatively normal life? Why was it always them that ended up drawing the short straw? Why was it always them that had to suffer?

Chiron watched sadly at the scene unfolding before him. It would be heart-breaking for anyone to witness this strong, heroic demigod fall apart, but for him it was soul-shattering. Looking at the young man in front of him, the young man who he had watched overcome so much in his short life, the aged centaur finally came to realise just how much Percy had been through, just how much raw, bleeding pain he held in his soul, just how much the son of Poseidon needed the daughter of Athena to keep him together. The fates had been cruel to them, too cruel; of all the demigods Chiron had ever had the privilege to train and know, it was Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase who were the strongest. The strongest of heart, the strongest of mind and the strongest of will. Of all of the demigods that had ever walked the Earth, including Hercules, Achilles and Odysseus; it was these two who truly deserved tranquillity and security. With a new weight of sadness in his heart, he watched Percy gasping for air and pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes in a feeble attempt to stop the steady flow of tears, slowly pulling what was left of himself back together. He could tell that there was a part of the boy missing, and he knew exactly where it was. That part of the demigod was lying cold and unconscious in a cot down the hall, hooked up to a multitude of medical machinery and a tangling of tubes.

Percy closed his eyes and, taking a shaking breath in, the son of Poseidon composed himself and returned his gaze back to his mentor. The moment their eyes met Percy felt something shift inside him, something so intense that all of his doubt and frustration eradicated. He hadn't had a feeling this intense in a long time and it only meant one thing; he was about to commit to something, something dangerous. He knew that feeling all too well. The adrenalin rush he was receiving was strong enough to cause any mortal to pass out on the spot. It was as if an avalanche had carved a passage through his veins, sweeping all of the negative emotion from them and replacing them with the steely face of determination and courage. It took Percy all of three seconds to make his next decision; to move the pawn that would kick start one of the most intense chess games of his demigod life. Three seconds for his blood shot eyes to register Chiron's wise ones. Three seconds for his mind to flicker to the image of Annabeth lying helpless and alone in that cold, isolated cot. Three for his mouth to spew out the question whose spark would ignite an incredible, unstoppable inferno of adventure and peril. The final drops of stubborn bravery froze in his eyes; the son of Poseidon merely blinked.

"When do I start?"

**Author's Notes (****_Again?_**** \- Yes)**

_This chapter is a fair bit shorter than my average chapter length but hopefully it will suffice until chapter 4 is up and readable._

_Thanks again guys!_

_Hattie x_


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Notes**

_Heya Guys! So here it is, the long awaited (seriously, it's been so long since I updated I've completely lost track of time), greatly anticipate follow up to chapter 3. That's right, fanboys and fangirls: CHAPTER 4 IS UP! ("Yeeaah!" "Wahoo!" "Right on girl!")_

_I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but things haven't been easy for me lately and I've had really bad writers block on top of a fair few other issues. A lot of the information in this chapter was reviewed, re-thought and re-written so many times, and the editing process took ages! But, seriously, thank you. Thank you so much for staying loyal to me and 'Saving Annabeth', you have no clue how happy it makes me when I receive an email saying I have new story favourites and followers or reviews! It makes me smile like a lunatic!_

_Speaking of reviews, I would like to apologise now for lack of personal response to any you have left. As aforementioned, I've been struggling with a lot recently so my main priority was getting this chapter finished, edited and published. I just want you all to know that your reviews are all read and taken into account._

_Also, I would just like to give a happy, little shout out to author: __**ilovepjoandhooforever**__ for helping me pull my ideas together for this chapter. Seriously, without your help, ideas, encouragement and reassurance, this chapter would still be in the 'In Progress' file on my laptop (I have a thing about organising my writing). Love you long time, Wise Guy! X_

_Now that all that is said and done, there's only one thing left to say: Loyal followers, please, put your cup of tea down for a brief moment to put your hands together for the next instalment of 'Saving Annabeth'! Chapter 4 is go!_

_Hattie x_

The tension in the council room was so thick you couldn't even cut it with a knife. All of the head councillors were crammed in around the long, mahogany table and yet none said a word; scared to breathe too loudly or say the wrong thing for fear of any sudden explosions from the nearby toilets. Everybody watched in stunned silence as the head of cabin three paced the room and delivered the most passive aggressive rant (or 'pep talk' as Percy liked to call it) as he waved his arms about him theatrically, nearly taking out a few heads in the process. Many of the head councillors, particularly the newer ones, believed that technically, as Percy had left his residence at Camp Half Blood, he had no right to call himself 'head councillor' of anything. This idea was voiced only once by the new head of the Ares cabin before being shot down spectacularly by Percy himself. Those who heard of this magnificent event would tell you that the sass unleashed was like a hurricane destroying the East Coast of America. Those who were actually present will tell you that Percy literally turned to face the culprit, his face completely serious, and threw him into the canoe lake. How? He's the son of Poseidon; how do you think?

"How? _How_; is it even possible to lose an inanimate object that literally spends its idle time _hanging from a tree branch?!_ Especially when it's being guarded by a _gigantic dragon_?!" Percy raged, the tone of disbelieve extremely prominent in his voice, which was steadily increasing in volume as he spoke. A few of the demigods, nervous under his piercing stare, coughed and shrugged, suddenly finding a rather intense interest in their clothing. The final straw for the son of Poseidon was when the head councillor of the Demeter cabin spoke up, providing him a reasonably plausible explanation, that naturally, Percy took entirely the wrong way.

"_Technically_, Peleus wasn't actually guarding the fleece at the time it would have been stolen, as he was kicking some serious monster ass in battle in order to protect his home, in order to protect Camp, so…?" He trailed off as the muscles in Percy's shoulders visibly tensed, causing the poor kid to shrink back in fear, remembering what had happened to the Ares chief at the very beginning of the meeting and instantly regretting the patronising tone he had used. Everyone held their breaths for a good half a minute, watching anxiously as Percy, clenched and unclenched his fists.

"YOU GINORMOUS SCRUBS!" Percy exploded suddenly, making everyone jump in surprise by whirling round and slamming his hands down on the mahogany table top, "WHO _DOES_ THAT?! AND _YES_ I AM AWARE THAT 'GINORMOUS' IS NOT ACTUALLY A WORD!" The head of the Athena cabin quickly shut her mouth and let the hand she had been holding up fall back into her lap dejectedly. Percy's eyes suddenly became dull, as if he were lost, and though they had previously been void of all personal emotion, his shining, sea-green orbs flooded with sadness. Staring at the grooves in the wooden surface, he whispered, "Annabeth points that out to me every time."

It went very quiet for a couple of minutes; without Percy's constant ranting, the silence in the room was now completely deafening. All eyes were cautiously lingering on the crumbling demigod, almost every one of them unsure on how to respond to such an abrupt outburst. It was only when they saw the shimmering hint of tears fall onto the table top, like the beginning drops of rain on the ground, did anyone truly react. The younger head councillors who didn't know Percy on such a personal level as their predecessors, shuffled uncomfortably amongst themselves, slightly shocked to see the strong, heroic son of Poseidon, of whom they had seen in action on the battlefield from a distance, falling apart before their very eyes. Those who had known Percy longest, and knew him as though he were a brother -Grover, Piper and Leo- knew that this was the call for help that Percy had been unable to give beforehand. His anger had had such a strong grasp over his emotions that he couldn't see any other way to express his desperation other than blame everyone else. In reality, they knew that he was so torn up with guilt inside, that if he didn't at least share the reins on this one, he was going to tumble into a never ending pit of despair and hysteria.

"Percy, it's okay, it's all going to be okay." The soothing tones of Piper McLean filled the brittle air, enveloping everyone in a sense of calm and reassurance. She stood from her assigned seat at the table and glided over to Percy, whose arms were now shaking violently from gripping the edges of the table so hard. "_Nobody_ is blaming you for what happened to Annabeth, it wasn't your fault, okay?" She soothed, slipping a sisterly arm around his shoulders, giving him the support he needed, allowing him to collapse into her. Stroking his hair like she had seen Sally do the time when she and Jason visited them during one of Percy's stronger PTSD triggered panic attacks, just before he and Annabeth had moved in together. They all suffered them, but of all of the Seven, Percy suffered the most, having stronger and more frequent attacks than any of them.

Glancing around the room, she could see the obvious discomfort of some of the councillors and decided that it was best to postpone the meeting until tomorrow. Still reassuring Percy, she locked eyes with Leo and the two had a brief, silent conversation of facial expressions. Suddenly Leo rose from his chair, clapping his hands together loudly, instantly gathering the attention of all in the room.

"Alright you guys, I think it's time we draw this thing to a temporary close!" He shouted, and a huge sigh of relief swept through the room, like an eagle's wing beat during take off. Taking on the role of what can only be assumed as an air hostess, in an obvious attempt to break the tension in the room, Leo swung his arm in an exaggerated circle and pointed to the door, "If you would all like to make your way towards the only exit located in this room, or if you're really desperate to leave you can use the window, that would be greatly appreciated. This meeting will be postponed until tomorrow morning when my good friend, Percy here, has decided to stop being angry at everyone and everything that breathes. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed your stay, although I sincerely doubt it. Please come again! Thank you! Yes, on your way now!" Piper chuckled and shook her head lightly at her friend's antics, but internally praised his efforts as soon the place was empty apart from herself, Percy, Leo and Grover.

"That was only, you know, slightly awkward, wasn't it?" Grover bleated, stepping forward and slumping down into one of the high backed chairs next to Piper, who had managed to coax Percy into sitting down, rather than continuously pacing about.

"And the Captain Obvious award, ladies and gentlemen, goes to: Grover Underwood." Leo announced, dramatically flopping into the seat opposite the satyr, winking and flashing him a cheeky grin to show he was teasing. Grover responded by raising an eyebrow that said 'Wow. Seriously?' before brushing him off and turning towards his oldest friend.

"Percy? Man, come _on_! This isn't you. The Percy I know would have to be _physically_ _restrained_ to stop him from ripping down the gates of Olympus with his _bare hands!_ The Percy I know would want to personally punish the Gods for letting this happen to Annabeth." He stressed, leaning towards his friend, his face a mixture of concern, desperation and the general sheepish look all satyrs had about them. When they we younger, Percy took great joy in this characteristic, teasing Grover about it relentlessly.

Percy, who had been gently bumping and rocking his forehead from side to side on the table, looked up slowly. He looked so tired and run down, like some of the liveliness had been sucked out of him. He raised a sceptical eyebrow at Grover before groaning pathetically and slamming his head back down with a disturbingly loud thud.

"I know. I'm so pitiful and useless." He mumbled into the hard surface, bringing his hands up from his lap to press into his temples.

"I'm not surprised to be honest. What with how many times you've purposefully smacked your head on the desk. _Seriously_ bro, what did the table _ever_ do to _you_?" Leo tutted in mock disapproval, shaking his head for added dramatic flair. Once again, Percy lifted his head up slowly, looking pointedly at the son of Hephaestus and, in a deadly serious tone, said,

"Valdez, dude, not helping." Leo laughed and rocked back so his chair was only resting on two legs.

"You appreciate me really, Jackson." He quipped, winking playfully. Percy sighed and pushed himself up so he was sitting straight, ruffling his hair and dragging his hands down his face, muttering,

"Whatever, Firecracker."

"Lo and behold! The offensive nicknames have returned!" Leo expressed jokingly, throwing his arms over his head happily. He had, however, overlooked a slightly major detail in this idea, as the moment he released his hold on the table, he and his chair wobbled precariously before toppling over backwards with a resounding crack. "Holy Hera!"

Unable to not laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, Piper snorted very loudly into her hand, in turn setting of Grover, and miraculously, Percy until they were all in hysterics.

"That's what you get for trying to be funny, Flame Boy!" Piper snickered, as the immature demigod reappeared, nursing the back of his head carefully.

"Hey, that hurts!" He protested to his giggling friends, "Physically _and_ emotionally." Up righting his seat once again, he sat down, this time keeping all four legs firmly on the floor. When Piper, Grover and Percy still wouldn't stop laughing, no matter how many times Leo glared at them or threatened to set their hair on fire, he let out a defeated sigh. "Well, at least nobody's moping around feeling sorry for themselves anymore." He admitted.

And it was true. Percy could feel it in himself; he had a new found energy coursing through his veins, he felt lighter, happier. He tried to put his finger on exactly how he felt, but the only word that came to mind was 'relieved'. Relieved that his friends were there for him, to help him. Not only that, but they were there for Annabeth and to help her too.

"You got that one right, Valdez." Percy breathed, pulling the scrawny boy to his side in a tight, one-armed hug. Soon he pulled Grover and Piper into the embrace, forcing Leo into the centre and, accidently of course, creating a 'Leo sandwich'.

"Thanks Guys." Came the squished demigod's muffled voice, "Now, as much as I'm loving this do you think you could maybe let go? I'm kind of being crushed here by your ridiculously muscular bodies. I mean _come on_! How come you guys got all the brawny and I got all the scrawny?" The group disbanded laughing once again, releasing their smiling friend from their grasp.

"Luck of the draw, my dear step-brother." Piper chirped cheerily, capturing Leo in a headlock and giving him an affectionate knuckle sandwich.

"Oh yeah, that's right, bully the smaller one why don't you?" Leo complained, throwing his hands up in mock despair as the foursome made their way out of the council room and followed the gravelled path down towards the cabins. As they laughed and joked with one another, they created a much lighter atmosphere, and each councillor they passed became slack jawed with disbelief at the miraculous change in Poseidon's son.

Despite feeling better and less likely to maim anything or anyone that breathed incorrectly at him, Percy's tactical mind was whirring, trying to come up with a plan to get this quest he was supposed to be organising on a role. Shaking himself out of his imaginary strategic bubble as they neared Cabin 3, he noticed the familiar frizzy, red hair of the Camp Oracle: Rachel Elizabeth Dare, complete with paint stained dungarees and arms full of bangles. She was perched regally on the steps of his old home, and upon hearing their approaching footsteps looked up from where she had been drawing in the dirt, a beaming smile on her face.

"Percy!" she exclaimed, "Piper, Leo, Grover." She followed up, as if only just noticing the others for the first time.

"Rachel! Hi!" Percy's mind was whirring again. Rachel never came to camp anymore unless there was something important going on, or she had received a prophecy, and she had received a prophecy; a prophecy for him. Seeing her sitting outside, not just any cabin, but his cabin; that could only mean one thing…

"Yes Percy," she said smiling warmly at him, "I'm going to tell you the prophecy."

"How did you…?" Percy began, realising halfway through his question that Rachel is a reader, and his facial expressions pretty much made him an open book. "You know what? Never mind. Everyone go inside, I want you all to be there when I hear this." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I have a feeling I'm going to need some emotional support again."

Percy was confused. Admittedly, he was normally always confused, but something about this prophecy didn't make any sense. Not that a prophecy is supposed to make any form of sense, but this one was just completely bizarre.

"Right, okay. Say it again for me? Please?"

"Percy, this is the 9th gods damned time already!" Piper huffed, from where she was slouched over in the blue armchair exasperatedly. "Surely you've got to have that thing drilled into your thick skull by _now?"_

"Alright, Beauty Queen!" Percy yelled frustratedly, pointing an accusing finger at Piper. "I have less than _5 days_ to figure out what the hell this stupid prophecy means, find the goddamned fleece and get the _hell_ back to New York to save not only my, but _your_ best friend! I don't _want_ to start a fight-"

"Who said _anything_ about fighting?!" Piper shouted back over Percy's threat.

"-you don't _shut up_ and _let me concentrate_ I swear to Hades I will kick your ass into the dam canoe lake!"

"GUYS!" Grover bellowed, silencing the arguing demigods instantly, "Chill. Piper, let Percy hear that awfully boring prophecy, that we've now heard countless times, again." He ordered, shooting Percy a pointed glare, continuing, "And Percy, we're here to help you, so throwing any of us into the canoe lake isn't going to make us inclined to assist eagerly. Even if Annabeth's life is at stake." He added as Percy opened his mouth to protest.

"Okay, yeah, I guess you're right." Percy sighed apologetically, "Sorry Pipes, I promise I won't throw you in the canoe lake." He said sincerely, Piper nodded in acceptance of his apology. "Yet." He added under his breath, turning back to Rachel. "Now, hit me." His request was met with three fists punching him in various places on his upper body. "Ouch…" he grumbled, folding his arms defensively over his chest like a naughty child. Smirking happily, Piper gestured to Rachel to recite the prophecy, again. Taking a breath, she began to speak, as though in a trance.

_"__A solo demigod shall travel far, protected not alone,_

_"__Find the one who might recall, where memories are not known._

_"__Search for the beacon living lost, upon the fall of earth,_

_"__A son of bone in solitude, will find to prove his friendship's worth._

_"__The works of the clock will start slow, to open or close the gate,_

_"__Silver orbs will shine or fade, a heart beats time won't wait."_

Silence washed over the cabin like a wave on the shore, and Percy stared at his hands, his leg bouncing up and down in agitation, his eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. What did it mean? He kept asking himself as he racked his brains over and over. What in Zeus' name did it mean?

Around him, the others were also thinking hard, attempting themselves to decipher the words. Rachel, sensing that things were about to become very tense, decided that she best leave them alone to ponder across the meaning of the prophecy and departed after a quick goodbye and good luck. Grover followed shortly after, claiming he was hungry and late for his date with Juniper.

Hours passed, yet not a word had been spoken by the three heroes and it was getting late; already the sun was at its lowest, casting an eerie light across the camp. It wasn't long before Leo released a huge, bear like yawn and Piper admitted that she was struggling to keep her eyes open. The two bid Percy goodnight and trudged out of the door towards their respective cabins, and more importantly, respective beds.

Groaning, the tired demigod flopped back onto the old bed and rubbed his eyes slowly. He tried in vain to continue his attempt at figuring out the prophecy, but quickly decided that he'd done enough thinking for anybody, let alone a Greek demigod with ADHD, for one day. Kicking off his shoes and socks, wiggling out of his jeans and yanking his t-shirt over his head, Percy rummaged around blindly in the dark for a pair of pyjamas. When he couldn't find any trace of pyjamas, he opted to just sleep in his boxers and promptly face planted his pillow as he collapsed, exhausted, onto the mattress.

As his mind slowly succumbed to sleep, Percy promised himself that he would think more on the pressing matter in the morning_. 'But for now;'_ he thought to himself, '_Sleep.'_

**Author's Note**

_Wow! Okay, that was actually much longer than I previously anticipated. Or noticed, come to think of it. Sorry about that guys! Never the less, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks again! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated._

_Hattie x_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's_****_Notes_**

_Hey Guys._

_How are you all doing? It's been a while I know, months to be precise…a late instalment again…I am so sorry. I try to write up to date and keep the process smooth and quick, but in reality, it's rocky and all over the place! I can't make any promises as to when I'll next update, just know that I haven't given up on this story!_

**_To the Guest who asked about the "solo demigod" issue:_**_Thank you for pointing that out, honestly I hadn't originally thought about any possible confusion surrounding that, so thank you! However, there is a plausible explanation. The term "solo demigod" refers to Percy and not anybody else because he is the only demigod child of Poseidon. Whereas all of the other gods, to my knowledge, have multiple demigod children, Percy is a "solo" child, hence the term "solo demigod". Based on this, Chiron (being the wise old centaur he is) figured out that it had to be Percy for whom the prophecy was about. I'll try to be more specific with the intended context of my writing to avoid any more confusion. X _

_I hope you all enjoy this chapter and apologies for the wait!_

_Hattie x_

Leo and Piper stumbled awkwardly out of Percy's cabin, each of them seemingly desperate to get out of there. The pair ambled together for a while but soon split when they saw their own cabins; the prospect of comfort and sleep greeting them with open arms.

Just as they were about to separate, Piper suddenly grabbed Leo's upper arm and pulled him close, drawing Katoptris from her sheath. Confused by the sudden protectiveness of his friend, Leo surveyed the area warily. Both were silent, only the sounds of the sleepy camp nature floated on the night air.

"Must be nothing." Piper muttered to herself, letting go of Leo's arm, although she remained armed. "But it couldn't have…" she didn't finish her sentence as a huge yawn sailed past her lips. Shaking her head, she turned her sleepy eyes onto a bleary-faced Leo. "I'm probably imagining things I'm that tired." She concluded, shrugging and sheathing her dagger.

"What was that all about?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, reminding Piper of a three year old child. She glanced around surreptitiously,

"I thought…I thought I heard…_voices_?" She half asked, still looking around cautiously. "It felt like we were being watched. I don't know." Dismissing herself with a wave of her hand, squinting in the darkness of the night. Leo suddenly yawned loudly, stretching his arms up and over his head.

"Well, if we _are_ being watched, I for one am extremely flattered." He deadpanned, his facial expression showing his clear displeasure for being up so late. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed before I collapse from sleep deprivation." He said, bidding Piper a final goodnight and disappearing into his cabin, tripping up the front step in the process. "I'm okay!" he shouted, holding his hand up in the air above him.

"Idiot." Piper muttered affectionately, gently taking the steps up to her own cabin door. Resting her hand on the handle, she once again turned around and scanned the grounds before her. She could have sworn that she saw humanoid shapes moving about in the bushes, but the wind was already picking up. "Must've been a trick of the light." She mumbled, pushing open the door bewilderedly, snapping it shut after her.

* * *

Crouched in the greenery surrounding the cabins, the four anonymous demigods shushed one another. Peeping through the leaves, they had been keenly spying on the Poseidon cabin, all four of them intent upon hearing the prophecy and any plans that came with it. They had been there for hours, but the long, uncomfortable wait had been worth it. Their mission had been clear: Glean as much Intel on the prophecy and upcoming quest as possible, and don't get caught out.

It had been easy to sneak one of their numbers into the head councillors meeting and collect every last drop of information that poured out of Percy Jackson's mouth. It had been even easier to skulk about pretending to be busy training while they waited for the older demigods to exit the council room. They had then proceed to follow them back to Percy's cabin, taking care to not draw any attention to themselves. The most difficult task of this entire mission was the waiting; hours and hours of sitting, standing, lying about waiting. Considering all of these demigods had pretty severe ADHD, they commended themselves in having done a spectacularly good job. After a good few moments of complaining and some well-deserved fidgeting, conversation turned to business.

"Did you get that?"

"Yeah. Everything."

"Well, they did repeat it like 50 million times so…"

"-It wasn't too difficult. We'd have to be as thick as a post to not have heard it all." One of other the demigods sighed exasperatedly in response and put his head in his hands, he seemed older than the rest so was therefore assumed to be the ring leader of the small band. When he spoke his voice held a distinct tone of annoyance.

"Yeah, but did you write it down?"

"No, I just brought this notebook and pen along for the sake of it. Of course I wrote it down!"

"Alright! Calm down!"

There was a pause and a brief silence filled the cramped space as the tension thickened the air. As the tension dissolved, it conveniently allowed a realisation of confusion to settle over them.

"What, in the actual name of Kydoimos, _[A/N: Greek God or Spirit of confusion]_ is it supposed to mean?"

Looking around at one another they shrugged and exchanged a series of blankly confused facial expressions.

"Haven't got a clue."

There was a murmur of agreement amongst them which was quickly silenced when they heard a small splashing. Frozen, thinking they had been caught, the four demigods were relieved to hear the soft tinkling of laughing water nymphs. Cautious that they could be found out any minute, the eldest of the group decided it was time to get out of there.

"Look, we'll figure it out another time, but right now we need to get back to base or we're going get skinned!"

Hurriedly, they scrambled out of the bushes and slunk away into the darkness, their gathered information held in an iron grip. While they knew what they were doing, they didn't realise how massive the scale was as the night swallowed them.

These four demigods were involved in something much bigger than they realised.


End file.
